Category: fighting for good

The sun was low in the sky as my son and I made the early morning drive to our appointment. He was already grouchy from having to be up “so early,” (poor, spoiled homeschooler!) so he lowered the visor to block the bright light, hoping to catch a few more zzzz’s during our half-hour commute.

I veered right onto our exit and he twisted in his seat.

“Ugh! Why did the sun move?” He impatiently adjusted the visor, squinting against the sun’s rude assault.

It was the Holy Spirit, practically in the back seat giving me a whack on my head.

Did you catch that?

I repeated the phrase I had just spoken over and over in my mind. Chewing on it, processing it. The sun didn’t move, we did.

The SON didn’t move, we did.

The world you and I live in is vastly different from the one in which many of us grew up. Not only has society changed, but the accepted teachings within the church at large have even changed.

Change is not always good. In fact, it is often very bad.

There is a pervasive, dangerous movement within modern Christianity to discredit the Bible. We are told it is evolving, subjective, that society has changed and, therefore, what God called “sin” isn’t actually that big of a deal in today’s world. Apparently God realized that we evolved to the point of figuring out how to sin well so He is a-ok with it now.

Friends, this is scary, scary stuff with eternal ramifications.

When well meaning and Biblically literate believers try to shine the light of Scripture on these issues they are met with anger and defensiveness.

“Who are you to judge?”

“That is not my truth.”

“That’s not what my Bible says.”

“God is love. Jesus loved radically. We are to love one another and accept everyone.”

But what we must understand is that the truth of Scripture, the Word of God on which the Church has stood for two millenia, has not changed. There is not one word of the Bible that is not relevant to our lives today. The standards of obedience to God and holy living remain, regardless of the technology we enjoy or the “enlightenment” we have attained.

There is only one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and He alone has the authority to dictate what is acceptable within His kingdom. He did that. In His Word.

Without going into a list of controversies here, because that is not my point, I want to share an illustration I heard recently on Alisa Childers’ podcast. Alisa is an incredible apologist and one from whom I have learned much in recent months. She, along with the Mama Bear Apologetics podcast and Ravi Zacharias (there are, of course, others…but these are my three favorites), has given me a vocabulary for articulating truth and taught me to think logically, better filtering what I watch on the news or hear on the radio (and in the pulpit!) through the lens of Scripture.

Alisa shared a story while speaking at a conference. In her introduction, as she told the audience about her family, she showed a picture of her daughter. The audience oohed and aahed, then Alisa went on to the point of her lecture.

At the end of her talk she referred back to the picture she had shown of her daughter. She said that they need to know that the girl she showed earlier wasn’t actually her daughter, but a picture from the internet of a child who looked a lot like her! The silence in the room was palpable. She went on to explain that, had the audience known her well or been part of her family they would have immediately recognized the error. Why? Because they would haveknown the picture she had presented was not her daughter due to having a personal relationship with Alisa and her family.

Do you see where I am going? There are countless false ideas circulating about who Jesus is both within and outside of the church, but God has not moved, friends. Society has barrelled forward in a concentrated attempt to leave God behind but He is still there, right where we left Him!

So how do we protect ourselves from following a false Jesus? We do it by dedicating our focus to the REAL Jesus. We do it by drawing close to the Father, (HIS Father, our Father!) studying the Bible for ourselves and spending time in focused prayer…cultivating intimacy with Him. We lean in, listening for the whisper of the Holy Spirit and weighing everything we are taught by pastors, teachers (and podcasters!) against all sixty-six books of the Bible.

In the words of the legendary Bob Warren…if we can’t filter a teaching through all sixty-six books and have it still say what we think it says, then we are interpreting wrongly. God’s word will NEVER contradict itself. The Bible is our standard, not society, not the church, not tradition. Every word of the Bible is true. All of it. We can, and we must, stand on it.

The world around us appears to be crumbling under the weight of permissiveness/universalism/progressivism (just to name a few). The church either falls into these traps or buckles under legalism and biblical illiteracy. The only way to survive as a modern follower of Jesus Christ is to stand on the ancient truths of the whole counsel of Scripture.

I do not claim to be a scholar, but I am learning. I am relying on the Holy Spirit to teach me and correct me when I am wrong. He will, and He does. Often. He is showing me facets of Himself, evidences of His power and love that I never knew were possible. He is stripping away the legalism of my childhood and, if I’m honest, my first two decades of life as a believer, and illuminating scripture like never before. He has broken and is recreating me into the image of Christ, and that comes through recognizing and dealing with my own weakness, error and sin. The Word truly is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of MY soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of my heart which have often been wrong at best, sinful at the worst. (Hebrews 4:12) Without being a student of the Word of God and really seeing Jesus as He is, this simply cannot happen.

The sun has not moved, we did. But it’s not too late to go back.

Let’s go back to where it all began, recognizing the truly awesome power of God and operating within that power for His glory and the sake of the nations. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and that is a GOOD thing. THAT is where we find security and stability as believers! Because He does not change we can trust Him and devote our lives fully to Him, believing He is who He says He is and that He WILL do what He says He will do.

That is true security as a believer. That is the source of unshakeable joy.

PLEASE READ…

John 4:24-God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

2 Timoty 3:1-7-But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:12-17-Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned itand how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I cleaned out a child’s room last week. “Clean” being the understatement of the century. I purged. Extreme, thorough and complete. I washed every article of clothing, not knowing what had been worn or simply tossed in the piles. I scrubbed, sanitized, and sang.

Yes, you read that correctly. I sang.

It was glorious, the transformation. What had been a source of both my frustration and theirs became a haven of peace and light. The sun seemed to stream more brightly through the tall windows. Worship music poured from the little speaker on the nightstand and I gently screwed a bulb into a new lamp because the old one no longer worked. I sang praises for this messy child, prayed for angels to perch in every window and light in every dark corner. I threw away every shred of trash and replaced what was broken, worn-out, or missing. I put every single item this child owned in it’s proper place.

And then that child came home.

The shock was palpable, as was the relief.

You see, the task had become overwhelming. This sweet one didn’t know where to start. Pushing things under the bed or into the closet got things out of sight, but not out of mind. Hopelessness had set in and asking for help felt humiliating.

No one likes to admit defeat.

But the hard work was done without them even knowing what was happening while they were away. Now, there is nothing hidden. With my arms around their shoulders and my face in their hair I reminded them that asking for help in the small messes will prevent big ones from piling up and becoming overwhelming again.

Has the cleanup of your life ever felt like an impossible task?

Dear one, do you see what God has done? You trashed your life. You made decisions you regret, did things you swore you would never do. Then, in shame, you attempted to hide them under the bed or in the closet. But they cried out for your blood from the darkness, threatened your very sanity from the hidden places. You believed the lie that said you needed to clean things up yourself. You refused to seek help because it meant facing the piles head-on and sorting through the trash one piece at a time and you certainly didn’t want anyone else seeing what you had stuffed away.

But God…

(Two of my favorite words are, “But God.“)

But God intervened before you even knew He was there. He saw the piles that you thought were well-hidden, and He was not deterred by them in the least! He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to sweep every inch of your life clean. The trash has been discarded, what was broken has been replaced and shame has been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. You, Beloved, stand pure before the Lover of your soul. Oh, how He loves you.

He no longer sees the clutter, He sees His daughter. He is not deterred by the mess you created. He has dealt with it all before you even realized He was there. He has cleaned out all your messes and, now, He invites you in…

to LIVE.

Will you do it? Will you walk through the door into the spotless, beautiful space He has created for you? Will you surrender and allow Him to make YOU new as well? For that is what He does best…He transforms.

Redeems.

Purifies.

And the maintenance? I certainly won’t say it is easy because even maintenance is not possible in my own strength. I too easily let sin pile up in my life. I must remember the daily task of coming before the Father with my messes, allowing Him to take them and replace them with purpose and vision for my life. It is a constant choosing of Jesus above all others, fixing my eyes on Him and walking in the calm amidst the storms around me. It is a determination, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to flee from sin and push back against the darkness one song, one prayer, one act of obedience at a time.

Jesus makes all things new. Your heart is just the beginning. The work is finished. Now walk through that open door and live.

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

I took my life into my hands and waltzed into Publix on Saturday with the goal of buying a smallish turkey and spiral cut ham (with all the trimmings, of course!) Wandering the aisles in no hurry, for once, I browsed the choices and compared prices. Too many leftovers would only sabotage all the hard work I have done this year to get into shape. I determined to refrain from making a huge pan of dressing because, first of all, I don’t need the carbs and, second, my kids won’t touch the stuff despite all the years I have set it before them.

I’m sure it’s a texture issue.

We have dear friends joining us on Thanksgiving day, along with my beloved mama and daddy. I could not be happier that I will have a table bursting with food and laughter and ten kids running all over my house. It is going to be delightful.

Delight-full!

I chose a smallish turkey (about ten pounds) and placed it carefully in my basket, moving on to the next aisle. It should be enough and I can make bone broth from the leftover bones. That is always a good thing as winter approaches. As I turned the corner, though, there was a case of huge turkeys awaiting my eyes. My mouth dropped open and I stood there, momentarily stunned and unsure of how to proceed. I looked at the little bird in my basket, then up at the huge ones piled up in the freezer case. I lifted one up and felt it’s weight, more than double the one in my basket. My mind immediately imagined our table with this as the centerpiece, golden and seasoned and surrounded by sweet potatoes, cranberries, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole and all the pies we have planned. I looked at this turkey and realized what I held in my hand.

A weapon.

I heard a quote by C.S. Lewis this year at Hutchmoot, on the first night as John Cal invited us to partake in the feast he had spent all day preparing.

“Feasting is an act of war.”

I returned the smallish turkey to it’s former home and replaced it with the huge one. It is way too big. (Remember, I also bought a spiral cut ham!) We will be tired of leftovers before it is all consumed. I will have made soups and sandwiches ad nauseum and, still, it will take up half of my refrigerator before I throw it in a big pot and boil it down to smithereens.

But it will stand, glorius and golden after many hours brined, basted and baked. It will bless eyes and bellies and surely put us all into a food coma.

And we will fight together, friends and family, against the darkness, pushing back once again as we rehearse for the Great Feast that is to come, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Together, we are a coat of many colors gracing the broad shoulders of Jesus.

Today I have the incredible privilege of writing over at The Rabbit Room! It is truly an honor to be allowed to share this message with such a large audience of artists, musicians, poets and storytellers whom I deeply admire.

I submitted this piece after weeks of mulling it over, writing and rewriting the message God had laid on my heart. It’s a big topic, one that goes against what the culture is screaming at us but is everything God wants for His Bride, the Church. Please hop on over there (PUN INTENDED!) and read “The (G)race of Community.”

Blessings to you, my friends! May our good God use this offering of words to encourage His people!

After walking the streets of Oxford, England and realizing the beauty that the community of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and friends had created that still, to this day, brings light and beauty to the Church, he felt the need to foster a creative community for the glory of God right here. In Nashville.

As the online community grew and began to thrive, they began to hold conferences, naming them (of all things!) Hutchmoot.

Hutch: a place where rabbits live

Moot: an Old English word for meeting place.

If you are a part of the Rabbit Room community, “Hutchmoot” is a synonym for home.

I came with my thirteen year old daughter. The creative one. I brought her along for two reasons:

One, she is incredibly artsy and would be the most likely to tolerate the long days and heady conversations because she knows how to keep herself occupied with a sketchbook and pencils. I felt she just might thrive in the safety of a church full of “creatives” and find her people.

Two, I didn’t want to go alone.

Me…This self-proclaimed extrovert who loves conversation and loud laughter had sudden bursts of introverted shivers when I thought of walking into a room of people with more talent in their pinkies than I have in my entire body. I felt like a poser, a wanna-be. I merely wanted to sit in the same space as these gifted ones and listen, hoping to absorb bits of their knowledge and be inspired to cultivate my own.

We arrived Thursday after flying home a day early from our family’s beach vacation. Due to awakening at 5am to make our early flight we were exhausted, but anticipation fueled us as we made the drive to Franklin, Tennesse from our home just twenty minutes down the road. Neither of us knew a soul, so I was grateful that we had one another. Neither of us had any idea what to expect from Hutchmoot, so imagine my joy in realizing that in this place we would find our people and I would leave feeling that I do, in fact, belong.

It will take weeks, maybe even months, to process all that the Lord has done in both of our lives over the course of four beautiful days.

Feasting, music, art, story, laughter, conversation, books, books and more books, and Jesus. Oh, the talk of Jesus, of God the Creator and the reason He gives these good gifts, these insatiable desires to create beauty. Every session, every workshop never failed to circle back to the Gospel. Eyes filled with kindness, words of encouragement to and from complete strangers, hugs and phone numbers exchanged because we just didn’t want this to end…this magic, this feeling, this community.

Hutchmoot is the Bride of Christ at her most beautiful: serving, loving, sacrificing time and talent and leaning in close over steaming cups of coffee to hear, really hear, the stories of God’s people. At Hutchmoot you are told you CAN do this beautiful thing. I now believe God WILL use my writing, that in Him I can finish the book I’ve pecked at for almost two years. I walked away knowing I am fully able to encourage you, my friends, in your walk with Christ and trust that these words of mine each week will get to the eyes of those whom He intends to read them.

And my daughter? At Hutchmoot she blossomed and grew. At Hutchmoot she danced for strangers and came out of her shell to talk the ears off of every adult who would listen and appreciate her art. Every last one of them listened. Not a single person failed to appreciate and encourage her childish boldness. She found her people. Aslan is on the move.

There is a comfort in being pursued, a rest in feeling known. To begin a weekend in a room full of strangers and end it surrounded by familiar and dear faces is miraculous. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and I, for one, am forever changed.

One last thing…as I type these final words the song, “Don’t You Want to Thank Someone” by Andrew Peterson is taking it’s turn on my playlist. And the answer is yes. A resounding yes, I do.

Summer went out with a hissy fit. The last few days were hotter than blue blazes. We sat, melting, on the sidelines of a soccer field and I drank a half-gallon of water within an hour plus I got a sunburn.

Just a week later, on the heels of a thunderstorm, Autumn moved in. I put out my mums and scarecrows and decorated the mantel with a colorful orange and yellow-leaved garland. The days are beginning their slow cooling, with highs in the 70’s and sunset coming earlier and earlier. Fall is always my favorite.

There are a thousand things I love about this season. Some physical, many symbolic. I want to do all the Fall things, eat all the Fall foods, but you know as well as I do that it is just not possible to do everything.

I am notorious for overloading my to-do list. Whether it is recipes to try, traditions to uphold, or activities for our family to enjoy I set high expectations and even higher ideals, only to be frustrated when I fail to meet them and another beautiful season has come and gone too quickly with me busier than I wanted to be, distracted and unable to sit and just watch the leaves turn to the glory of God.

This year we are in a new house, a new neighborhood surrounded by green hills about to explode with color and a big sky above with constellations glimmering by moonlight. I don’t want to miss a minute of it.

So how do I simplify? How do I make the Holiday season memorable for my family without stressing us all out? How do we make each moment count without obsessively counting those moments and lamenting as they slip through our fingers?

Consider this idea: Choose what you are not going to do. I know that sounds odd. With the advent of Pinterest and all the other social media that reminds me of the amazing things everyone else is doing (making me think I should be, too) I can misguidedly believe that my kids are missing out if we don’t do x, y or z. But what if I say no? What if I say lets SLOW and hey, guys, y’all go ride your bikes and meet up with friends while I finish my book on the back porch. What if celebration means we don’t actually go anywhere to enjoy Fall, but stay right here…put down deep roots and watch the hills explode come October?

What if I pick one or two delightful Autumn treats and we only indulge on Sundays? Maybe we don’t need four dozen cut-out and artfully iced cookies. Maybe one dozen will do. I have been following the Trim Healthy Mama plan since June and feel better than I have in years. Do I really want to undo all the good health I have attained because it’s getting cold outside? Remember how awful sugar made me feel the last time I gave in? It’s just not worth it. I can make a hot Trimmy and enjoy every sip without guilt. The ingredients for healthy homemade biscuits and gravy are in my pantry right now. Soups and stews are so easy to make without ingredients that will spike my blood sugar. It can be done!

Pumpkin farms and petting zoos abound around Nashville. Scenic day drives and salted caramel everything are all around me. There is no shortage of opportunity to go and see and do and get really, really tired. But I have two dogs who enjoy being petted. My kids have, sadly, outgrown the pumpkin farm phase and we just buy ours at Wal-Mart. We have seven beautiful horses living in the pasture right in front of our house. Trees cover the hills all around us and my porch is the perfect spot to enjoy the cooler evenings with a fire going in the firepit. Why do I think “out there” is where the fun and memories lie? Not that there is anything wrong with ANY of these activities, but sometimes the wisest and most restorative thing we can do is sit right here and just be together. Let the boredom creep in. They will survive and, likely, thrive in it. Let long stretches of silence go uninterrupted. Sip a sugar-free mug of hot chocolate and munch on a cinnamon muffin that blesses your body while your breath fogs in the crisp Autumn chill.

Cuddle the kids. Even the big ones.

Keep Autumn simple. Don’t worry about what everyone else says they are doing. You do what brings peace and rest and the presence of God into your home. Slow down. On purpose.

Boy, is this ever a big topic. So many books and blogs claim to have the answer but, when all is said and done, we still end up empty and searching. Advice ranges from getting a manicure to “washing your face.”

(Yeah, I went there.)

I, I, I, me, me, me…we fight for peace and rest and determine to recharge and charge forward, but for what? For “likes?” For fist bumps and “Yeah, girl, that’s right?” Is that what we are reduced to…our social media popularity and comment sections? Recognition from a world who stands against the things of God? Success that is temporal and cannot eternally satisfy our deepest longings?

In Romans 8, starting in verse 5, Paul explains where our focus should lie. Let me give you a hint…it is not on “self.”

At least not in the way today’s popular books would sell it.

Read this section of Scripture carefully …

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:5-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The only real method of self-care has nothing to do with yourself but everything to do with God.

The answer to that question dictates how you live. What we feed our minds determines the fruit we will display in our everyday lives. Flesh equals death. Spirit equals life and peace. This passage tells us the flesh is actually HOSTILE to God! It does not like to be told what to do or how. (“Who are you to judge me?”) It doesn’t want to, nor is it even able to please God. To profess to be a Christian yet be unable to please God is scary. Very scary.

2. Be sure the Spirit dwells in you.

Paul’s assumption is that he is speaking to believers. But what if you have not surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus? Well, you are basically spinning your wheels. Without faith in Christ you don’t have the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, you do not belong to Christ. If you are not certain, please contact me. I would love to help you get that settled once and forever.

3. Know who you are…and who you are not.

I am many things: wife, mom, writer, sister, teacher, friend. But above and beyond all of these I am a born-again child of God, daughter of the King, and forever alive because of the righteousness of Christ. His Spirit lives in me and gives life to my mortal body because Jesus rose from the dead and promises to do the same for me! This is EVERYTHING. This is the reason I live and breathe and get out of bed at sunrise to meet with Him. The flesh has no right over me because I owe everything to Jesus. If I belong to Him it affects everything I do, every word I speak, even the passive information I allow into my mind while going about my day.

My behavior is greatly affected by the contents of my mind…trash in equals trash out. Beauty and things of the Kingdom in equals peace and joy out.

If I choose obedience to God I choose life. If I follow the patterns and godless ways of the world I will suffer the same negative consequences in my life.

If I truly know who and WHOSE I am the very fabric of my days will change. My tastes and desires will be refined. I will find joy in living fully into who my Creator, who knows me best, says I am!

Here’s the point:

Do I enjoy self-care in the earthly sense? Sure! I don’t know many women who don’t like a good mani-pedi or massage. Being told I did a good job or that you like to read my blog 😉 always feels good and encouraging. But I want us to go deeper, to a more permanent solution to the inner battle we all fight each day. I want us to see where our value lies and know that if no one else is cheering us on, if finding time to be pampered is just not happening in this season but we are certain our lives count for the Kingdom of God then we can find joy in knowing we have achieved the highest of rewards and most holy of accolades from the only One whose opinion really matters.

In Heaven my feet won’t hurt, thus nixing the need for pedicures.

In Heaven I’m fairly certain we won’t need Facebook or Instagram.

And in Heaven we will be eternally satisfied to hear “Well done” from the Eternal One, Himself.

Live forward, dear one. You are who you will be! Walk in that knowledge and turn away from twaddle, beginning NOW. Don’t settle. Don’t compromise. Hold a high standard because Jesus regards you highly. He is worthy of our well-lived lives.